May 1 – Daily Notes – Amanda

Reading the word “priest” means a number of different things in Scripture. It is most commonly referring to Levitical priests. These are the descendants of Levi who were in charge of the liturgy of the temple. They had various jobs including playing music, tending to the temple vestments, etc. But there were other types of priests, such as Nazirites who had different jobs and regulations and didn’t require you to be born into a particular family. Today we’ll read about Samson, a Nazirite.

Judges 13:1-14:20:

5 – Nazirites were set apart for God’s service and had special rules including never cutting their hair, drinking alcohol, or coming into contact with a dead body.

8 – A prayer we should all pray for our children.

12-19 – Though the riddle is a little odd, it was obvious that Samson’s wife had betrayed him and cared more for his people than for him by telling the men the answer. Only Sampson had had the experience with the lion and bees and no one else could have known the answer.

John 1:29-51:

31-34 – The other gospels give accounts of John baptizing Jesus and the Holy Spirit descending and landing on him.

45-46 – This is the greatest evangelism tool ever – simply inviting someone to come and witness for themselves the goodness of God that you’ve witnessed. The context is that Nazareth was a small town not known for anything great.

51 – Jesus referring to the angel’s ascending and descending harkens back to Jacob’s dream of angels going up and down a ladder in Genesis 28. Jesus is intended to be the connection between heaven and earth, that’s why the angels are able to ascend and descend on him.

Psalm 102:1-28

The description just before the Psalm is helpful. This is a prayer that would be good for those who are afflicted and weary and need to offer their complaints to God.

Proverbs 14:15-16:

16 – This is similar to the familiar phrase, “look before you leap.” The foolish tend to jump into things without weighing the consequences while the cautious are able to turn away from evil because they seek God’s wisdom first.